Pastor Tom's Journal

It is sure good to know that an old stump is still good for something. As long as we can give, we can be happy.

Born this day in 1871 – Frederick Converse, American composer and academic (d. 1940). His works include four operas and five symphonies. The Mystic Trumpeter (1904), is based on the poem of the same name from Walt Whitman's iconic anthology, Leaves of Grass. Many biographies note the similarity of his work to that of Richard Strauss and Converse's influence upon Strauss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbQRCDywi1s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1IuT8qWwfI

Opinion Expression Avoidance Syndrome This popped up in my "On This Day" feed from May 11, 2016: Have you ever felt intimidated about stating an opinion, question, observation, or passing idea? Have you ever calculated the fear of being judged, labeled, or categorized for having a divergent view on some subject or a doubt about some matter of ideological orthodoxy? We have all seen people pounced on and maligned. I tend to identify with such people and feel really bad for them, even when I am not in agreement -- but I am sometimes too big of a coward to come to their defense. I am getting a little weary of critics, mean-spirited commentators, and ungracious quip-jockeys who latch on to any and every bit of negative evidence to prove their point against someone or something - with or without verifying their information --- and without regard to context, real meaning, or relevance. A lot of this comes from my tribe, but it is not tribal. It is a not the product of any one ideol...

I am glad I can spell resilience. Now, if I can live it like these folks, that will be something!

The Word Became Flesh and We Beheld John 1:1-18 (NRSVU In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   He  was in the beginning with God.   All  things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.   The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.   There was a man sent from God whose name was John.   He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.   He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.   The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.   He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.   He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.   But to all who received him, who believed in his name, ...

https://kingsriverlife.com/01/04/remembering-our-neighbors-homeless-memorial/

Increasing Daily Ask and Answer Accept Advance Admire     Growing Stronger And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him . .– Luke 2:40   Jesus grew.   He was not born strong, wise, and full of grace.   He was born who He was: the Son of God, but the Son of God, God the Son had emptied Himself and taken on Himself the form of a servant.   Therefore, it was required that He submit to the process of maturation physically, emotionally, relationally, intellectually, and spiritually.   We, when we were children, often wanted the privileges of adults. When we became adults, we longed for the care free life we enjoyed as children.   Seldom have we relished the gut-wrenching, humiliating, submissive, and painful experiences that are sometimes associated with growing up. In the quest to avoid some of these, there are among us those who have never grown up or hav...

  Christmas Thoughts   Tom Sims Madonna and Angels, Fra Angelico  (1387-1455, Italian)   Christmas Is Not for Cowards   6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty.   (Haggai 2:6-7, NIV)   There is nothing inherently soothing about Christmas. Experience teaches us that chestnuts roasting on an open fire is nostalgic aspiration. Christmas is a time of stress, hurry, guilt, and fatigue. It takes courage to shake loose from the expectations of our idyllic images and experience what the shepherds first embraced: glory! In its rawest form, the word glory refers to weight. As we said in the sixties and seventies, “That’s heavy man.” God said that in fulfilling His promises, He would shake things up to the very foundatio...

Good Tidings, Great Joy! … I bring you good tidings …” - from Luke 2:10 Christmas is about good news. It is the gospel message delivered by God’s messenger to all who will hear. There was nothing frightening or negative about the message the angel brought to these shepherds Nor was there any indication that they received the word because of any particular merit or worthiness on their part. It came to them by grace and God knew that they would respond with spontaneous, childlike faith, and inquisitive wonder. God knew that they would receive the message as good tidings. How do we receive words from God? To be more specific: How do we receive the Word of God that comes to us with great regularity and is always available to our eyes, ears, and hearts? Have we grown cold, indifferent, and spiritually grumpy in our familiarity with the good news? It is no mere concession to secularity that we should say, “Merry Christmas!” It is the ancient wisdom of the Word of God that says, ”a merry hea...